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The Duchess of Cambridge officially names new cruise ship

Sporting a growing "baby bump," Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge,
named a cruise ship on England's south coast Thursday, in what is
expected to be her last solo public engagement before her child is due
next month.

Wearing a stylish black
and white animal print coat, she cut a cord to send the traditional
bottle of champagne smashing against the hull of the Royal Princess.

The ceremony in the city
of Southampton also included a blessing by the Bishop of Winchester, the
Right Rev. Tim Dakin, a performance by British pop singer Natasha
Bedingfield and music from military bands.

Catherine was then to be given a brief tour of the cruise liner, as its "godmother."

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The ship, owned by Princess Cruises and with room for 3,600 passengers, will embark on its maiden voyage Sunday.

The Royal Princess will
then sail Mediterranean cruises through the summer and Eastern Caribbean
cruises in the fall. According to Princess Cruises, the huge ship
houses the largest pastry store to be found at sea.

There was a gala dinner
Wednesday night for guests at the naming ceremony, who included
representatives of the charities for which Catherine serves as patron.

The Royal Princess was built for Princess Cruises, a part of Carnival Corp., at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy.

Alan Buckelew, the
line's president and CEO, paid tribute to its British heritage in a
speech ahead of the champagne smash, with a reference to its origins in
the former London-registered Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation
Co., better known as P&O.

Prince William's late
mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, was "godmother" to the original Royal
Princess liner, which launched from Southampton in 1984.

She and Catherine
pronounced the same words as they played their role in the official
naming ceremony, saying: "I name this ship Royal Princess. May God bless
her and all who sail in her."

Other "godmothers" for
the cruise line's ships include the late British Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher and actresses Sophia Loren and Audrey Hepburn.

Heir to the throne

It's not known if
Catherine and Prince William are expecting a boy or a girl, but a change
in royal succession laws means that their first child will be the heir
to the British throne regardless of gender.

The couple married in
London's Westminster Abbey in April 2011. William is second in line to
the throne after his father, Prince Charles.

Queen Elizabeth II, William's grandmother, last week celebrated 60 years since her coronation.

On Monday, she paid a
birthday visit to her husband, Prince Philip, in the hospital where he's
convalescing after undergoing abdominal surgery last Friday.

The Duke of Edinburgh, age 92, could stay in the hospital for another week, according to a palace statement.Watch the video below: